Because many people consume large amounts of sweet, high-calorie candies, there is an increasing need to produce a candy composition which is sweet tasting but contains no sugar. There is also a need for candies which are also low in calories. Since typical candy compositions lead to the formation of cavities, there is also a need to produce a candy composition which is non-cariogenic.
There have recently been developed several sugar substitutes which can be used in a candy composition. Of particular note are hydrogenated starch hydrolysates which can be used as a substitute for sucrose in candy and other sugar-containing foods. Typical examples of such hydrogenated starch hydrolysates are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,279,931 and 4,271,197 and references cited therein.
Hydrogenated starch hydrolysates have two major drawbacks which inhibit their use in the making of sugarless, low-calorie candy compositions, especially a hard candy composition.
More specifically, hydrogenated starch hydrolysates typically have a caloric content of approximately 4 calories per gram. The amount of calories per gram far exceeds the maximum calories defined by the Food and Drug Administration as a "reduced calorie" food, which is at least 1/3 less calories. A reduced calorie product containing hydrogenated starch hydrolysates would therefore have no more than 2.67 calories/gram.
The second drawback associated with hydrogenated starch hydrolysates is that they are relatively unstable under high temperature (e.g., 80.degree. F. or higher) and high humidity conditions. In other words, candies containing hydrogenated starch hydrolysates have a tendency to cold flow when subjected to these conditions.
To overcome this problem, candies containing hydrogenated starch hydrolysates must be packaged under carefully controlled conditions. For example, candies containing hydrogenated starch hydrolysates must be wrapped so as to keep the moisture content in the candies to less than a maximum of about 1% by weight, preferably less than 0.5% by weight. This requires that the candy composition units be packaged immediately after cooking while still warm, preferably in an air-conditioned environment. The candy must also be packaged in a moisture-proof container. All of these procedures add to the time and cost of preparing the candy composition.
Applicant has discovered that the combination of a polymer of glucose or maltose in a specified amount and a hydrogenated starch hydrolysate as the principal ingredients results in a candy composition which is stable under conditions of high temperature and high humidity. The present hard candy composition eliminates the packaging and storage problems associated with known compositions.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,247,568 discloses a process for preparing non-digestible food additives which comprises heating a mixture of a starch hydrolysate with an edible acid having a moisture content of less than 5% by weight. The resulting product may be combined with a number of additives including a modified polydextrose.
These references do not teach or suggest the combination of a hydrogenated starch hydrolysate and a polymer of a glucose or maltose (e.g., polydextrose) in the specified amounts according to the present invention. There is no suggestion in these references of how to overcome the problem of cold flow of hard candy when exposed to high temperature and high humidity containing hydrogenated starch hydrolysates nor of applicant's discovery that the use of polymers of glucose and maltose overcomes the problem.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hard candy composition which is sugar-free and stable under high temperature and high humidity conditions.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a hard candy composition which is sugar-free and low in calories and which eliminates many of the time-consuming, high-cost packaging procedures associated with previous candy compositions containing hydrogenated starch hydrolysates.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a hard candy composition which is also non-cariogenic.